Conservation officers with the Department of Environment are about to complete training on the province’s new aquaculture regulations in order to conduct site inspections and will soon put that training to work.
Over the last month, conservation officers from across the province received a detailed review of the legislation, an industry overview, a presentation on the variety of shellfish and fish species and the types of farming operations in Nova Scotia, and training on how to disinfect equipment used during site inspections.
“By consolidating the roles of our fisheries inspectors and conservation officers within one department, we can better allocate our resources where and as they are needed,” said Margaret Miller, Minister of Environment. “Now 55 conservation officers are qualified to help site operators understand their responsibilities under the law. They will also conduct compliance checks and respond to complaints.”
Before the consolidation and training, only four fisheries inspectors were responsible for conducting all compliance and enforcement actions across the province.
Training for conservation officers was held in three locations across the province – Liverpool, Truro and Port Hawkesbury.
The new aquaculture regulations became effective Oct. 26, 2015. They are available at
http://novascotia.ca/fish/aquaculture/laws-regs/ .
Source: Release